Affirmation
by Cassandra IV
Summary: The strong live. The weak crumble. Yeah, we knew that. Sasuke's the Uchiha, so clearly he gets to taste the spotlight. Then this living freakshow of a girl shows up, and suddenly our Avenger isn't so sure where he fits anymore. Give it a shot, guys. R&R?
1. Just a Girl

Title: Affirmation

Author: Victoria Tang

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Author's Note: Okay, yeah, I know people never read the author's note and just skim down to the story to see whether or not they like the first paragraph or six. But, you know. Why not? Anyhow, I've recently been given a new perspective on this story, and so I'm slowly editing through all my chapters. So, for returning readers—there might be some old or new parts that may or may not mess you up. Sorry, and enjoy

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"Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

Her initiation was slow. Her execution was hesitant. The delivery was sloppy. Yet, the amount of Chakra was properly channeled as the fire technique successfully tore away at the tree with the maximum impact of the ninjutsu attack. He watched as the exceptional talent fell back against the grass, looking ill as she clutched her throat with one hand and gasped hoarsely for breath.

Strange.

His junior pupil, Sakura Haruno knew all about the theory—she knew each step, each twist, each seal—and wasn't yet at this level. Watching this one's operation was metaphorically like watching her blindly throwing a dart and seeing it hit.

Reminiscent of the majority of amateur Genin that had come under his eye, she jerked up into a sitting position. Definitely feeling the pain worse than years of bulimia, she immediately started gagging, gave him a puppy-eyed stare and then bolted off for a glass or six of water.

The skilled Jounin watching her, usually fairly unimpressed by the lack-of-spunk and skills of his new students, was surprisingly pleased.

"You need work. But nothing less should be expected by Iruka's student." The silver-haired teacher felt the need to practically bite his tongue to prevent himself from praising her any further. She allowed a small smile and modestly covered her face with her hands at the flattery. "You would do well to measure the intensity of your attack, however. This was definitely overkill."

Smiling politely after regaining her composure, Aya followed Kakashi's gaze to the remnants of the tree trunk. "Actually, the one who taught me wasn't Iruka. I wasn't even taught in this village." She hesitated for a moment and grimaced, brushing a strand of dark blue hair from her eyes as she followed a figure wander across the left field. By now he had stopped and stared back at her, and although he didn't recognize her that was just to be expected.

Regardless of whether or not she was a familiar face, it didn't stop him in the least at noticing the skill being displayed by her show of supposedly amateurish ways. Even without the need to look around him, Aya had absolutely no doubt that he was in one way or another being trailed by those mindless cohorts who were apparently under the impression that they shared some form of friendship. She'd done her homework. Ostracized freak Naruto Uzumaki and mousy intellectual nerd Sakura Haruno. One was a pseudo-failure, a social outcast and a slave of unrealistic ambition. The other was all brains and no brawn, who could easily pass with a perfect score on any academic standardized testing but not so lucky when it came to real-life applications.

Glancing up at Kakashi, she smiled sheepishly. "There's somebody I want to speak with. May I be excused for a couple of minutes? It's just that I haven't seen him in… literally ages."

Her teacher nodded slowly, his gaze lingering where hers once were. "Is it Uchiha Sasuke? All the girls fall for him. I wouldn't get my hopes up though; his social nature leaves much to be desired."

After nodding his assent, Aya turned and began to approach him. Sasuke looked alerted to see her coming his way, but stayed silent and merely leaned against the wall in that stereotypical "I'm mysterious, but at least I'm hot" way. When Aya reached him, she gave him an enigmatic smile and extended her hand to him. "Hi."

"Hey." He replied cautiously, looking down at her hand as if it were a vat of poison. Did this girl know him? Her smile faltered, and she was about to lower her hand when his grasped hers and shook it with such intensity you'd think he was extremely tense. "I don't believe we're acquainted."

It was unbelievable. It was almost like he expected to be stupid. How could she not know him, even if he did not know her? Not only was he famous around the village for being hot and an Uchiha with amazing skills, but it seemed like he didn't expect her to have heard about him in any way at all.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke, right?" Aya asked, as she leaned daintily on the stone wall in his same position. "I wanted to ask of your personal opinion. Hokage-sama has allowed me to do a Rank B-mission, and I just don't know what it is I'm encountering. Being of the legendary Uchiha Clan, you _must_ have received this sort of treatment before. Are these missions extremely difficult?"

They were all Genin—although she was a "late bloomer" and graduated to one just yesterday. She had spoken with the Hokage this morning—and he described her D missions. They were extremely pathetic and miserable in all accounts. They didn't suit a ninja at all. To her surprise—and Kakasi's—the Hokage had allowed her to do a higher rank mission. Which meant that her first mission would be something besides a D-rank. All the Jounins who caught wind of this opportunity were astounded, and the idea abhorred.

Sasuke's mouth nearly dropped open, and a nearly scandalized expression crossed his face. She must have mistaken it, for it passed just as quickly as it had come. "Why would that useless old geezer let _you_ deliberately do a mission made for the elites? My team only did one recently by fluke and our Jounin—your present teacher—was barely able to manage the mission."

He watched as Aya thoughtfully pushed a hand through her hair. "I guess you don't believe I can do it, then." She flattened out the last of the sentence, not allowing it to curl into a question. Regardless, Sasuke just nodded anyway.

"It's not my place to discourage you, but nor is it my obligation to do the contrary. I don't know you."

"My name is Ayame, but people call me Aya." Introducing herself with an endearing look, she leaned forward until her mouth was beside his ear. "You may not know me, but I'm sure you're plenty familiar with the name 'Itachi.'"

She drew back so that she could watch as the name affected Sasuke so that he visibly tensed up all over his body. "And since I know him, I obviously know who _you _are. Not only because of the steel reputation you have, but the fact that you're his foolish, little, brother."

"_Where is he_?" Sasuke shouted out. "Tell me!" Whirling over, he aggressively pinned her to the wall lest she try to escape. Jerking her eyes up, Aya quickly met his gaze and her heart nearly stopped.

_Sharingan._ So, even without Itachi's help he had them after all.

Where is he?" He shouted again. "I swear, if you don't tell me right now—"

Aya grabbed his arms, and in less than a second she had surprisingly managed to nonchalantly loosen herself from his deathly tight grasp. Sasuke withdrew is hands and mulled this over. He had thought he had held onto her pretty tightly. How'd she wrestle free?

"That hurt."

She's talking so smoothly. She's so **insincere.** Who _was_ this girl? And he didn't just mean the name. Sasuke sat down on the ground, and looked up exhaustedly at Aya. "What do you want, anyway? Have you ever even seen me before?"

_Wouldn't you like to know,_ Aya thought with a grin. "A few times. Everyone talks about you. By the looks of it, I'll be seeing you around in the future." She gestured over to Kakashi. "I'm sorry, but as his student as well you'd understand why punctuality and concentration is essential to a student's growth. I mustn't keep him waiting."

As she turned and walked towards the easily recognizable Hatake Kakashi, Sasuke heard faint footsteps and averted his eyes from her retreating back to Sakura and Naruto, who were arguing something about ramen flavours. "What?" He asked when they conspicuously stopped their conversation to stare at him funny.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked, raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows as she saw Aya disappear around the corner with Sasuke. He couldn't help but return the monotonous tone to his voice, even if there was a touch of annoyance added to his usual gloom. He didn't even want to deal with these two now. That girl, Aya, had not told him a single thing of importance. All she attempted and managed to do was arouse his hopes for finally accomplishing his first and final task as an avenger.

"Her name is Aya," he stated bluntly, looking away and starting down the path when the two of them followed him like trailing dogs. "She knew something about Itachi."

The two of them fell silent, and Sasuke eyed their reactions from the corner of his eye. Now that she had left, his recently-earned Sharingan had faded so there was absolutely no evidence that he was actually getting worked up over such a small event. These two would just blow things completely out of proportion and probably give him grief about that, too.

_Aya_… Sasuke squinted his eyes at the path in front of him. Something just wasn't right about her. If she was a new Genin, why didn't she have a team of three?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"_Doton Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!"_

Filling out the remainder of the mission assessment and sliding it under his application, Hatake lay down his pen and stared at the filled form. He had loads to say and critique about Aya, yet none of what he had to say was relevant to the content requested of the sheet. It had taken her only one ninja move in order to complete her first B-rank mission. A mission categorized for the elites. A mission categorized for ninja like him. She had not even been harmed whatsoever during this endeavour, and that shocked the living hell out of him. She was scared, and definitely fazed, but considering the circumstances, her reaction and the outcome—that initial fear was insignificant.

_Hey, this is serious…_ Kakashi submitted the form and turned for the door. _Not only did she surpass all the Chuunin in speed and growth for these missions, but she completed such a high-ranked mission in one move, no less. A new Genin shouldn't be able to be conscious enough of her Chakra to execute jutsu like that. She should be using the basics. _He stepped out the door, and his eyes focused on the slim, blue-haired girl who was sitting on top of one of the planters, swinging her legs against the wooden platform. _Despite not being nominated as one, she falls into step beside all the highest scoring rookies this year._

The week after, there was no suspicious activity from Aya. She was demoted back to regular D-rank missions like the rest of the Genin, only done solo rather than with two others. The day of the Chuunin exam, however, Naruto nearly had a heart attack.

"We're being assigned a _fourth_ member?" He shouted in awe, his jaw dropping almost to the ground. Anko nodded, almost expecting this type of reaction from the outspoken member.

"During the course of this second portion of the Chuunin Exam, you're going to have another team mate—her name is Ayame, and I hear tell you've already met her before, Sasuke."

"Briefly." Sasuke replied, glancing over to look at the person in question. She did look vaguely familiar, even when he first saw her—with her long, dark blue hair and priceless smile on those pale features. She wasn't what he'd deem pretty, but she definitely wasn't unattractive. Had he actually met her before…?

On the other hand, Sakura was visibly upset. Clearly shed been having way too much fun being the only with oestrogen in the group. Chewing on her bottom lip, she looked just as agitated and unimpressed by the newcomer as she felt.

"My name is Aya," she spoke up to introduce herself, and Sakura was surprised to see that for her shy, introverted appearance, she had a strong, confident voice with just a trace of insecurity. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry to intrude on your group, but I just recently became a Genin and had no other choice—"

"You mean you're not even _trained_?" Sakura couldn't help but blurt out, turning to Anko in disbelief. "Clearly you don't honestly expect her to take the Chuunin exam with us!" She protested. "If even one of our members is fatally wounded, then the rest of us automatically fail!"

Anko studied Sakura's face, before raising an eyebrow at her belittlement. "Actually, I think that you'd find her rather useful." _In fact, I believe she will be an asset, negating your uselessness._ Ignoring the look on Sakura's face, she cleared her throat. "I'll gather the rest of those who are taking the Chuunin Second Exam," she announced to the entire group, "again congratulations on passing the First Exam."

"Of course we _passed_!" Naruto yelled loudly, slamming his hand down on something that made a huge _smash!_ which drew all eyes to him. "That exam was far too easy for me, but you must expect that from somebody who is going to be the Hokage in the future!"

"What are you in such a rush to become a Chuunin for? We all have reasons for wanting to be ninja, but as far as I have seen, you've had no reason whatsoever!"

"Oh, I have reasons." Aya said smugly. "But I'm not an avenger. And I'm not trying to be a Hokage. Nor am I here to snag a guy."

_Then what __**are**__ you here for?_

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Gaara's jaw tightened, the corner of his mouth twitching spasmodically. He had just spotted Uchiha Sasuke, and it was within all his intention to fight him at least once during this Exam. This was just his chance. Forgetting his siblings, he jumped down from the heights of a large tree and was immediately detected first by Naruto, who hadn't been paying attention to whatever it was Sasuke was telling his group.

"Hey! It's the no-brow guy from the Desert!" He yelled loudly, which shattered the tense silence around the forest.

"An enemy?" Aya asked, leaping to her feet in alarm. Her expression tensed when she saw him, and she felt a chill run up and down her spine.

He was no stranger. But what the hell, for all _they_ knew and remembered, he was.

"I'm not interested in you." Gaara snapped coldly, flicking his eyes in her direction. He meant it to be a brief glance, but he did a quick double-take. Something about her seemed oddly… familiar. No, it couldn't be it.

Studying her, he realized that despite how powerless she _looked_, something told him different. She did hold a lot of Chakra. "Actually, I _am_ interested in you." He replied again, narrowing his eyes. "Uchiha Sasuke, I'll deal with you next we meet. This time, I want to fight the girl. Identify yourself."

"Aya." She replied coolly. "And you are? I've heard of you, I think. Gaara of the Desert? 'Love' on his forehead. Large gourd on his back."

"You're well-informed." Gaara complimented, and introduced an unfamiliar seal to her. "But knowledge won't save you. Let's start."

Stepping forward, Sakura grabbed hold of Aya's wrist. She didn't like her, but she didn't want her to be sliced and diced—especially since that would mean immediate disqualification from the exam on all their parts. "You'd better not," she said quietly, her eyes focused on Gaara lest he make any sudden movements. "He's the best student prodigy from his village."

"He asked for me. If I don't do it, who well?" Gently removing Sakura's hand from her arm, Aya turned and approached Gaara until she was three or four meters away. She was watching him—clearly allowing him to make the first move.

At this point, Sasuke began to question her sanity.

Considering Gaara's physique, he didn't look particularly look like speed was a forte. This meant he depended on his power for close to everything. With this in mind, she should have ambushed him with _taijutsu_. That would've been what someone who'd like to live would have done.

Within seconds, millions of—what was it, _sand_? Well, he was from that village—rose into the air and began flying towards Aya at a frightening speed. There was no way a fresh Genin could dodge something like that—could there? It was already a miracle that Gaara had the ability to even control so many individual grains.

"Damn it, Aya, _live_!"

This was it. They'd fail if one of their team mates were fatally wounded.

Without a moment's hesitation, the sand obliged Gaara's will and pierced straight through Aya's body with… surprising ease. Despite her resolution not to, Sakura let out a loud scream and shut her eyes. Peeking through her fingers, her heart feeling like its beating could possibly be detected through her shirt, Sakura managed to notice the familiarity of Aya's reaction. Her body sliced away with a wave of water, and what she expected to be the genuine being swiftly sprinted up from behind him.

"That was Kakashi' _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu,_ wasn't it? It was, right?" Naruto shouted, glancing back and forth between the peculiar sight and Sakura whose eyes were of astronomical proportions. He recognized the move immediately from his B-mission against Zabusa. How'd she manage to pull that off?

Gaara allowed a small smirk and rotated to let her know that she was busted. She was quick, he'd give her that small compliment, but as expected she was no match for the speed of his sand barrier. It deflected every physical move she threw at him, and after another series of seals a fistful of sand caught hold of her foot causing her to stumble. "_Abaku—"_

For the first time since the start of the battle, Aya's terror was reflected in her eyes and all over her face. Her body was visibly trembling, the poor thing. After all, this was her first battle with somebody she'd had to use more than one jutsu against. She was scared. Then again, that would just suggest that he was harder than a marked B-rank. That certainly felt satisfying.

"_Mokudon Hikutsu Judai Koudan!"_

Her surprisingly confident shout broke his concentration and like an expert, she blocked the rest of the sand from latching onto her body by methodical tosses of ninja stars before grabbing your everyday kunai and slicing the tie between her and the sand. Normally her strategy would have failed, but he was a) in a mild state of shock, b) the sand that had grabbed her was not of his own but of the land nearby therefore had no will of its own, and c) his focus had been broken, or else he would have executed his sand technique and blown up her foot into liquid flesh milliseconds ago.

Relieved the sand wasn't immediately giving her any more hell, Aya scrambled away until she was a fair distance again. Scowling, refusing to believe that she was going to emerge from a battle with him unharmed, Gaara commanded the rest of the sand to flow from his guard and he readied the same attack once more. He would not fail again.

"Gaara, what in God's name do you think you're _doing_?" Of all things, that stupid boy should know better than to pull such a stunt and reveal his movies in a place like _this._ Jumping down from the trees, his sister grabbed hold of his hand which broke it from a seal formation. "Stop it. This is an order."

"They're not going to just let us go." Gaara snapped coldly. "I might as well just kill them."

Touching as this lovely sibling connection was in a way that's not really, Aya fell backwards, trying her best to catch her breath or at least steady her nerves. Quickly running up to her, Naruto dragged her back onto her feet. She was quivering like a wounded puppy—yet all the while she had sustained such good techniques in self-defence. She was horrified, yet…

His first battle had been terrifying.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, stepping beside them. Aya nodded, taking a slow swallow, before releasing her clutch on Naruto's shirt. Raising his hands in a seal of his own, Sasuke turned back to the opposing members. "I'll finish them off."

"We'll give you our scroll if you allow us to leave. If I fight you, you will lose and you'll be left with nothing." Taking the coveted item from her pocket, she flung it generously in their direction. "We'll see you at the Tower."

Correctly reading the look of relief that had crossed on Aya's face by the offer, Sasuke picked up the scroll and handed it to her. "Carry it. You've earned it. Besides, it'd be trouble if I was caught and we lost both scrolls."

"Wait just a second!" Sakura yelled out, almost angrily. "Am I the only one who noticed how the impossibility factor of that fight? How could you have done the Water Clone technique when you've just graduated? This is ludicrous!"

"Contrary to your belief, impossibilities are mere opinions. I'd think by witnessing this sight you'd understand that." Sasuke replied without even a trace of warmth. Aya couldn't help but feel her neck heat up. Them basing their philosophies off of _her_ was almost like cheating. She was no amateur, but they didn't know that.

"There's just always an exception to the rule." Aya said, shrugging. Putting a hand on her shoulder and massaging it gently, Sasuke used the other to gesture for them to all move forward. "You handled your first fight great." He complimented in a brotherly fashion. "I was impressed."

Just then, a piercing scream echoed through the forest and nothing less than a gigantic mutant reptile burst through the ground and nearly flattened them right then and there.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Anko felt her heart pound harder and faster than she'd ever felt as she raked through the Forest of Death via tree jumping, searching any open areas with a strong sense of determination set in her body. She had to find Orochimaru. She couldn't allow that scheming bastard to target another group.

However, amidst the repetition of that particular thought, something caught her eye that caused her to halt so suddenly she nearly toppled over. Looking between the trees, she nearly had a heart attack because there, sure enough, was Orochimaru's presence in the form of some nameless boy atop a large snake. He was fighting a group of _four_, which of course, had to be group seven.

She began to descend upon the battlefield, taking out her shuriken when she hesitated. Sasuke had been knocked down, which meant trouble considering his potential and that this was Orochimaru. Sakura was, unsurprisingly, at his side, while Naruto was pinned against the side of a tree. But the new Genin was standing there looking intensely afraid—but without a scratch on her body. Perhaps she just came up to bat. Perhaps she was fighting him all along. Who knew? One way or another, this wouldn't take long.

It couldn't do all that more damage for her to be the hero arriving late. Even if it _was_ Orochimaru who was her opponent, Anko couldn't help but be sceptical about Aya's powers and of what the Hokage saw in her. She thought the same as the rest: this girl was inexperienced, and girls of her ninja status should be working on D missions. They were a rite of passage. Yet, the Hokage had granted her as an exception and allowed her to perform a mission where the potency of one move served sufficient in completing it.

Yes. She'd wait.

"Cute." Orochimaru peeled away his false mask and licked one sharp tongue over his lips. He could smell his opponent's fear. He could see her trembling. Yet there was a silent confidence emitting from her small frame so reminiscent of someone he'd met before.

"Not to offend your sexual preferences, but I'm not interested."

So, she was either strong and witty or just incredibly stupid. Anko began recounting how many throwing knives she had left.

Landing gracefully onto the ground, Orochimaru extended a hand out to Aya for a moment. "Who are you, girl? How rude for me not to introduce myself." A name and reminder of his insanity later, Aya still seemed unimpressed.

"Aya," she said, swallowing hard. Turning away in disgust at the emotion she heard in her voice, she felt tempted to strike herself. _Get a hold of yourself, _she mentally instructed herself and took out her throwing knife. _Itachi trained you to be fearless._ She sensed fear within herself. And she didn't like the reminder of this unfamiliar feeling one bit. "You wouldn't know me. I just became a Genin."

"Just" became a Genin. All of the students participating in this Exam should be relatively new ninja, so the fact that she said that would suggest that she was a late bloomer. A Genin, especially not one of the late bloomers, should be able to wield her level of Chakra without at least four or five years of in-battle experience. Three, if you're lucky. Two, if you were him. His flattering nature was usually reserved for his marked victims, namely Sasuke, but even as an omnipotent criminal he couldn't help feel mildly intrigued by this puny excuse of a power force.

"The boy has much potential, as to be expected as the brother of Uchiha Itachi. But you, dear girl, you're a pet project." Raising his arms, he smiled coyly to himself. "_Juin Jutsu!"_ An ominous song began playing in the background that nearly made her vomit from its drama, and his head lifted and extended an abnormal length, springing towards her in an attempt to bite her neck. After having seen the move perfectly while being performed on Sasuke, the move was easily predictable. To Orochimaru's—and Anko's—surprise, she jolted to the side at the last second without a second's hesitation or novice's fear and lifted her knife up, effectively slashing his neck with annoying precision.

Not bad.

Had he been a normal person, she would've sliced right through from his oesophagus to his jugular, but fortunately this was his highest quality puppy clone, and this sort of bleeding wouldn't subdue it. Suddenly terribly anxious to test our her further after witnessing her quick reflexes, Orochimaru summoned his snack once more and charged it at her. Squeaking like such a little girl at the sight of the humongous reptile, at least twice the size of what she'd seen before, Aya immediately went into a habitual seal.

"_Doton Shinjuu Zanshuu no Jutsu!"_

_This is it!_ Feeling the surge of adrenaline burst throughout her body, Aya felt a burst of power once more. _My Chakra points are connecting!_ With surprising ease and underestimated power, she plunged deep into the Earth, successfully taking the gargantuan snake with her. Orochimaru quickly transported up onto the thick branch one of the trees and looked down at the gaping hole in shock, his heart pounding at the overlooked Chakra capacity of such a young, petite being.

Before he could expect any more, Aya quickly sprang up and practically jumped Orochimaru with her last attack. It was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before—a dark purple, almost black sphere of _energy_ pulsed hungrily within the palm of her heart, with small blue swirls of recognizable Chakra surrounding it. She yelled out with extra conviction as she plunged her fist into Orochimaru's torso.

"_Hotaru no Jutsu_!"

What _was_ this technique? Surely someone of her standards couldn't have possibly had the skill to create her own jutsu at this stage, given her age alone. Which meant someone must have taught it to her, but who could have?

The puppet disappeared immediately from the attack, and she seemed surprised to see the small wooden instrument that had been the puppet lying there in its place. Her development with the connection to her Chakra point was weak, thus her technique wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been. One way or another, he was gone.

From his spot a fair distance back, Orochimaru stood. What _was_ that technique? When the girl picked up the puppet and stood up, she turned and glared directly his way, discreetly telling him that she knew exactly where he was. To his surprise, instead of Aya's face and figure, he saw Itachi's, before it faded back to her piercing one.

Then it hit him.

Itachi mustn't have taken on just one successor, he must've taken on two. And if Aya was just as competent as the other, then that would mean Itachi had created two monstrosities of power. Knowing the man, this heiress of knowledge may well be capable of every jutsu made known to humankind.

Disappearing in a wave of dead leaves, he disappeared and Aya fell back, stopping herself from passing out. Immediately, she caught sight of Anko and leaned forward on her knees. "Anko-sensei!"

Anko stared into the distance, but couldn't sense Orochimaru's presence anywhere. It wouldn't hurt to stay and describe her situation to the peculiar girl. Leaping delicately to the ground, Anko looked Aya up and down. The girl was… no longer visibly scared, but she was tired. Her major concern was the fact, however, that she was not at all harmed. A bit muddy from her own technique, but…

Looking at Sasuke, she quickly confirmed that he had the cursed seal on him, and that he'd have to be brought in to the Hokage immediately.

"Aya," Anko mumbled, looking to Aya's clear eyes. Once again, the fear was gone, but she couldn't stand as she was too exhausted. "That man you fought. His name is Orochimaru. He is an S-rank criminal, and is wanted for everything under the sun." She paused for a moment. "We've been trying to catch—or kill—him for decades, but we've had trouble just holding him off." Her eyes narrowed into suspicious slits, and she turned away. "How a Genin, like you, could hold him off for so long without sustaining damage escapes me."

Deciding to let the uncomfortable subject slip, Anko quickly rushed over to Sakura, who was still shaking Sasuke as if there were no tomorrow. Already, the seal was beginning to spread, and the purple wave of power came rushing through his body.

"I need to bring him to the Fourth." Anko mumbled, picking him up. "He'll be in trouble if we don't. You—Sakura. Bring Naruto over here, and follow me. You may get the scrolls some other time. Since you faced that monster, just to get both scrolls would be enough reason to have you pass. You won't be penalized for their hospitalization."

"We already have both scrolls."

It actually hadn't even been three hours since the start of the exam, but Anko just shrugged, feigning indifference. "Alright, you two head to the tower, and I'll bring these two back to the Hokage. They'll meet up with you on the fifth day at the tower. In the meantime, take Sasuke's scroll, and guard it."

The two of them watched Anko slung one boy over each shoulder like rag dolls and take off across the forest like a jackrabbit. It didn't take a genius for them to figure out she must have been watching the fight if she could move that quickly.

Turning, Aya looked at Sakura sheepishly. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Looking surprised, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "No, I never said that." And true it was. She had absolutely no reason to feel upset with Aya, only her uselessness was far more apparent with her around.

As the two of them began their lovely walk of awkwardness towards the castle, Aya found the need to break the silence. "So, um, you like Sasuke, huh?"

Her head jerking up in surprise, Sakura gave her a shocked look. "What? –Oh, and you're going the wrong way."

"Well, the way I see it, I have no choice but to come to that conclusion. Sure, you saved Naruto, but you stayed glued onto Sasuke when _he_ fell, which was far from a fatal fall in comparison."

Sakura's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she was gratified that Aya looked ahead and not at her. "I won't deny it. Ino and I have been fighting tooth and nail to get into his good graces for as long as I can remember."

"Ino? The blonde that Shikamaru's always talking about?" Aya asked. "I know her. She's very pretty. That boy sure knows his girls."

After engaging in more nominal chitchat a while further, Sakura couldn't help but a) point out that Aya was consistently going straight when the tower was clearly another direction, and b): "Do you like Sasuke?"

A surprising volume of laughter greeted her question.

"Me?" Aya choked. "Sasuke? Oh, boy. I respect him, but I'm far from a groupie."

"How do you know him, then? You two seem so close. And forgive my asking, but…" Sakura hesitated. "How do you know Itachi?"

Stopping, Aya turned and stared Sakura directly in the eyes. The look was so piercing that Sakura felt the need to look away—yet didn't. She genuinely wanted to know.

"My last name is Uchiha. You're the only one in Konoha who knows."


	2. Heritage Sucks

Title: Affirmation

Author: Victoria Tang

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

An Uchiha.

That would definitely explain why she possessed such capability—but only to some extent. It simultaneously just did not suffice as an explanation for how her genetic code could turn even an adolescent into an exceptional novice.

Sakura tried to avoid glancing over at Aya so not to appear rude and blatant about how all her thoughts for the past half hour concerned her and this new revelation. Apparently, her discreet tactics must've failed, because without the need to even turn around, she was called on it.

"You're thinking about what I said, aren't you?" Aya inhaled deeply. "Believe it, Sakura." Looking up and shading her eyes from the setting sun, she made a face. "We should keep going. It's getting dark."

"Wait—" Sakura stopped her by stepping in front of her. "I was just thinking… why _are_ you so powerful? Genetics must have some limit to your power, but I just don't understand."

"My parents do have to do with my… reservoir, that's a fact. However I do not attribute my strength to them. Only Itachi knows of my past and present, but in the Final Exam and afterward—you'll know."

Along with the rest of Konoha. This was the promise she'd made to Itachi on Sasuke's behalf.

Behind them, a silver-haired Genin named Kabuto squinted. Why were those two alone? Knowing Orochimaru, he must have done something to separate them, but why were they so calm rather than looking for the other two?

"Kabuto!" Zosu shouted, and Kabuto glared back at him in alarm, fiercely shushing him. "Quiet!" He hissed. "They're right over there. That pink-haired girl is part of Sasuke's group. That girl must be that new member."

Suddenly, Aya stopped and looked directly his way. Kabuto backed behind the trunk of the tree and held his breath before peering around it at her. She just raised an eyebrow, denied a question from Sakura, and continued on her way. But he knew she had seen him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sasuke's yells of pain were hardly bearable.

Anko covered her own seal, biting her tongue lightly to keep from feeling the pain. "How's—" she gasped out, before realizing the pain was evident in her voice. "How's the other boy?"

Kakashi exited the room in which Naruto was resting in. "He's just fine." He replied vaguely. "Orochimaru did something to the seal on his stomach—but…"

"Are you crazy?" One of the medical ninja spoke up, who had been anxiously eavesdropping. "That boy isn't important. Sasuke—he's got a ten percent chance of living and you are wondering about hat Nine-tails _brat_?"

"Nana! It's forbidden." Anko hissed, and Kakashi looked away. "Naruto doesn't seem like much, but over the time I've been watching him he's proven a very important person to Sasuke. I have a feeling that Sasuke wouldn't have been so important to Orochimaru if it weren't for Naruto."

"That's a good thing," Anko grumbled, "they should be separated."

"Not during this exam," Kakashi cut in, "without him, Sasuke might not last it. Especially with that seal."

"H eshouldn't have to depend on that boy in order to release his power!" Anko countered. He should be independent—being independent is a part of being a ninja!"

"And relying on your team mates is another." Kakashi continued. "On your allies. Your comrades."

"There's a large difference between dominantly independent and completely codependent!" Anko shouted back, "Your idea and mine are on completely different sides of the dependency spectrum."

"Anko," Kakashi said, completely changing the subject in such a way you'd expect it were on his mind all along, "When you found Sasuke—how was… what was the girl doing?"

"Which? There were two. One was utterly useless, while the other was surprisingly… well, she was impressive given her age." Anko replied matter-of-factly.

"Yes, that one. She wasn't harmed, was she? She witnessed Orochimaru bite Sasuke's neck—did he try to bite her, as well?"

"Yes, and rightly so." Anko cocked her head to one side inquisitively. "You'd think she'd have been in battle before, given the way she moved. It's impossible to have just learned them and to not have used them in battle. Working with a tree can't mold moves like that."

"You're saying Orochimaru targeted her, yet you didn't feel the need to bring her here?"

"With all the flattery she must feel from being given a B-rank mission, I find no need to further compliment her extraordinary self by giving her a swelled head in bringing her here."

"She's too modest to seem the type." Kakashi replied simply. "Sasuke seems to know something about her. That leads me straight to Itachi." Being one of the best, his deductions were correct. "The only thing that can evoke emotion from Sasuke would be his brother, and his avenger's spirit."

Not even her moves alone could have received this much attention. Sasuke seemed almost excited around her, for a reason he couldn't quite place.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Five days later, Neji Hyuuga still looked absolutely scandalized at the fact that his group had not been the first to finish, as he'd been sulking the past four days. The three from the Desert looked apathetic yet confident as always, and the three from the Sound looked almost victorious about something—despite the fact one of them had their arms recently broken. Sasuke and Naruto were still being hospitalized, and hadn't been heard from since.

Clutching onto her shirt, Sakura looked worriedly over towards Aya. "Anko-sensei said that she'd be bringing Sasuke and Naruto here on the last day. It's already noon—could it be something's happened?"

"I don't know." Aya murmured distractedly, "I think you're being paranoid." Then something caught her attention, as her eyebrow twitched and a grin spread on her face. "But hey, you know what? There they are."

Sakura whirled around to see Sasuke, slumped over groggily, while Naruto was just as hyper as always. His wounds seemed to have healed remarkably fast, but that didn't seem to be the reason why Sakura quickly bounded over to Sasuke's side, completely ignoring Naruto's greeting. "Sasuke-kun! How's that bruise…" she began, when Sasuke shot her a dark look.

"Welcome back." Aya grinned, stepping beside Naruto and putting an arm around her shoulder. "How's your head?"

Naruto and Aya began talking enthusiastically on his unconscious state and her remainder of the Exam while he was gone, when a large computer screen began to digitally scramble names.

"Preliminary matches?" Rock Lee asked, blinking. "We have to fight each other? What if it's a team mate?"

"That's just the way things go sometimes, Lee." Gai said matter-of-factly, although he himself didn't seem too pleased at the fact that two friends could potentially be broken apart. "You'd better find somewhere you can watch the fight—they're just about to start."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto. "Maybe I'll be able to fight you after all," he murmured. "You're stronger than the rest. I want to fight you, and all the other strong ones here. I need affirmation. Am I strong?"

Naruto would have possibly answered, if it hadn't been at that moment did the screen finalize the first match's contestants.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Ayame." Kakashi murmured, looking over to the two in question who shot each other surprised looks. Interesting would be putting this fight mildly. Sasuke had exceptional talent, as anyone in Konoha and beyond could attest, however as an Uchiha, he was weaker than the rest and his array of ninjutsu remained short given his age despite his surname.

Aya, on the other hand, was full of surprises no matter how careless or sloppy or how without forethought she was at doing it. Facing her brother, she looked as if her puppy just died. "I guess we do get to fight each other. Trust when I say I don't want to, but—"

"But **I** do. Don't hold back." Sasuke ordered with a tone icier than she'd ever heard before, especially directed at her. "I know how you fended off against that guy in the forest—against someone that I couldn't defend _myself_ against. There's no way I can't match some young Genin."

"_Some_ young Genin? We're all the same status!" If this boy wanted her to go even half her full potential, he'd be out of this world!

"Enough. Get in the center, you two." A loud whistle sounded, and Sasuke quickly took the chance to hold up a seal. His eyes showed no room for conversation given his intensity and concentration. Or at least, that's what she would've said if she were trying to write a novel of some sort glorifying his face. He just looked constipated. Normally she was nicer, but considering how condescending he was just two seconds ago, she could spare a couple bitter remarks.

"_Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu!_" Quickly focusing his Chakra, hot flames shot directly at Aya, and licked hungrily at her flesh. Looking intimidated by the pretty yellow and orange lights, Aya decided at the last minute to jump. She wasn't at all scorched.

_My reflexes are getting better._ Aya acknowledged as she confirmed that she hadn't been touched. _Still a little too slow for my liking, but still better._

Undeterred, Sasuke continued on the offence as he planted his left foot onto the surface of the wall and propelled himself with extra momentum towards Aya before knocking her into the air. This could easily be recognized as Lee's technique that he had used on him earlier, but Aya had not been there to witness it.

Sasuke was one hell of a chameleon.

Gai looked over at Kakashi accusingly, but he just ignored it.

"Shadow Dance!"

Aya was literally a deer caught in headlights before Sasuke managed to successfully unleash an "Uchiha Lion's Combo" which basically had her ass kicked to the curb as her body smashed into the ground with a severity that could make anyone's bones break.

_Damn,_ Aya groaned as she got back to her feet. A blue glow shone all down her backside, and it was apparent that she had focused her Chakra as a cushion. _I'm really rusty._

She was up in a second. Making a disappointed grunt at the fact that she wasn't fully defeated, he left back and his arms flew in front of them in an "X" just in case Aya turned to the offensive side. Taking that as her cue to begin, she decided to promptly use her first move. "_Kanashibari no Jutsu!"_

All jaws of the ANBU line dropped. This girl was clearly not a member of ANBU, nor was she born with one as her parent so far as any of them knew. It was impossible for her to have learned one of the ANBU ninjutsu without having actually been one.

"With that, you can't move, can you?"

Well, if this wasn't perfect humiliation. Sasuke gritted his teeth and yelled out in frustration as he stood there in the same position feeling his embarrassment compound by the minute. Among every member of the Genin graduating class and beyond, no less. It was giving everything he'd worked for a bad name.

"_Sasuke will seek me. Sasuke will seek me for power."_

Giving out a strangled cry, Sasuke's body seemed to feel limp, but still maintained the position he had been in due to her ninjutsu. His inability to touch the excruciating stab of pain in his shoulder made him all the more agitated. He nearly bit his tongue to redirect the pain.

It must have been Orochimaru's seal. She hadn't even done anything yet. Reaching in, she took out her shuriken and cancelled her last jutsu move.

Now that the technique was no longer in place, he dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as he clutched his shoulder. By now everyone in the room must be thinking of how to lecture him in the near future, saying things like, "You aren't living up to the name of Uchiha." Or, "Weak. Surprisingly weak." However, Aya herself wasn't speaking a word of this. In fact, she acted as if he were almost equal to her…

"I **am** equal to her," Sasuke reminded himself firmly. "Stupid! Don't forget that." He quickly bolted to the side, and brought out his own shuriken.

_So. It seems Sasuke's brought out his own Sharingan. How interesting._

"One moment. I'm only going to put on my forehead protector."

Sasuke hesitated, and froze in a defensive position just in case. Reaching into her shuriken holder, she took out the familiar metal plate sewn onto a navy blue strip. He was using his Sharingan, so why shouldn't she use this? She hadn't used 'it' in a while. She strapped the forehead protector over her eyes, and tied it here.

_My eyes indicate my conception. My secrets._ Aya thought as she tied the knot. _I will not let anybody see._

Sharinkyakugan," she murmured, her voice barely audible. Feeling the familiar omnipotent surge of power take over her shielded eyes, she spread her legs and help up a seal. "Sasuke, are you ready? This is when I get serious."

"It would truly be a waste if either one fails," the Examiner pulled Kakashi close and whispered hoarsely into his ear. "Are you sure you want the both of them to fight?"

Kakashi looked back at the two of them, mentally debating on the subject. "They are both giving me techniques that should allow them into the Final Exam, but that's just about the same as everyone else present. Such would be considered favouritism, so I'm currently deciding."

_I'd best get rid of that shuriken he's got out,_ Aya thought as she placed the large metal instrument in front of her. "_Kage Shuriken no Jutsu_!" She quickly flung the large weapon at Sasuke before he could make out exactly what her technique was.

_This is child's play. I can knock that away and cause some damage to her simultaneously. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"_ Sasuke shouted out concurrently as he quickly flung his shuriken at her, long enough for the two of them to counter. Both shuriken ricocheted off each other, and that's when their shadow shuriken came into play.

Watching anxiously as the second shuriken did the same with hers at first, he didn't quite expect it so much when Aya leapt into the fray at the risk of getting sliced open and tackled him onto the ground.

Luckily enough, over the course of wrestling each other, Sasuke managed to notice that Aya's back was to the wall. Giving her stomach a final kick, he slammed her onto its surface before rolling away to safety.

"_Kaze no Yaiba!_" Scrambling back to her feet, Aya held out what looked like a paper talisman and did something of a sweeping gesture before a huge gust of wind shot towards Sasuke. Familiar with this technique due to Temari, Sasuke grabbed Aya's wrist and pulled her in with him.

"Smart," the Examiner heard Kakashi mutter, "You shouldn't use an attack of that calibre in such close range."

"_Doton Doryuuheki!"_

Of all the techniques she hated, it would be spouting stuff out of her mouth. In this case, that would be mud. Opening her eyes once the dangerous wind was blocked off, she fought the urge to spit. Her mud shield had block her negated her attack, and she was about to let out some amused comment when Sasuke grabbed at her throat. Finally noticing this wasn't even considered hand-to-hand combat, Aya curled up so that her legs blocked his stomach from coming closer. Managing to pry his fingers from her neck, they collapsed to the floor, their hands performing a sickly warped version of "mercy," their stamina incredible.

"Stop!" The Examiner yelled out suddenly, stepping forward, and immediately all the Jounin appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, to break them apart. "Stop."

"Ow!" Aya exclaimed when she loosened her grip on Sasuke and realized that he wasn't letting go. "What are you doing? We're both being let into the Final Exam! Aren't we?"

"Yes."

To her surprise, Sasuke just let out a disappointed grunt, and turned away as if someone had just put his puppy in a blender. "What was _that _for?" He snapped toward the Examiner haughtily, "I could have beaten her!"

Raising an eyebrow, Aya ran a hand through her hair and let out a breath, causing Sasuke to glance back at her.

"What's with that protector?" He asked, gesturing towards the item still draped over her eyes. "I know your eyes aren't normal under there."

"No." Aya replied simply, to which Sasuke just glared at her. After a second, one hand snaked around her head and the other went directly for the protector, when Aya quickly grabbed the threatening one and twisted. Letting out a strangled cry of pain before he could stop, she leaned in close to his ear. "Look, idiot boy, stop trying to fight the inevitable. I don't want to show you, so I won't."

Releasing his hand, she turned and strode away, cheerfully saying hello to Shikamaru and wishing him the best of luck on his fight against Kin.

"Aya! What was that out there?" Naruto jogged over when the two of them emerged from the tunnel and approached the bleachers of the arena, "Why did you cover up your eyes? It's crazy how you could even _see_ through those things."

"There are just some things I'm not ready to show the world just yet." Aya responded, waving the question away noncommittally as she slid the protector back into her shuriken holder. Sakura looked concerned. She wondered before if Aya even _brought_ her forehead protector, and now that she knew that she did she was puzzled as to why she didn't wear it around her neck to protect her in case Orochimaru tried to—

"Don't worry," Aya interjected, reading the look off Sakura's face, "A move that I've seen so clearly such as that won't work." With that, she gave her one last enigmatic smile so akin to Sasuke's before seating herself.

After several more fights, Aya suddenly getting up, looking bored, before exiting the exam's arena to get a couple of moment's alone. Biting onto her thumb, drawing blood, she drew a quick seal on the palm of her hand and closed her eyes. In moments, a spherical ball emerged from the seal and she caught a glimpse of Itachi, covered up just as he always had been in that silly hat and unfashionable cloak.

"Aya," he stated by means of a greeting. "Why are you…?"

"I'm bored. Sasuke's getting boring." Aya pouted, cocking her head to one side. "You know, he was fun to toy with at first—but now it just feels like he hates me. On top of that, we were paired upt o fight in the preliminary matches for the Chuunin Exam."

"You won?"

"Nobody won. The Examiner stopped the match and allowed the both of us to continue into the Finals. Typical, huh?"

"You sound upset."

"I'm scared in battles, Itachi. I have all the technique in the world, but…"

"That's the part of you you're trying to mature, isn't it? It's only natural it'd be this way." Itachi was cold, but his tone was much softer than it normally was. "Just make sure you keep away from Orochimaru."

"So I can't go after this guy anymore?"

"Definitely not. It would probably kill a Hokage to kill him. Why don't you just get those dogs calling themselves your team members to keep you company?"

"They're not dogs, Itachi. They're… unexpectedly nice. I've become friends with them. Sasuke's one of them."

"If you have friends, then you shouldn't be bored. The only people I think could possibly suit you for a challenge would be Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and Gaara of the Desert."

"Neji," Aya repeated in a low murmur, as if she were daydreaming. Itachi paused. "Aya, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay. He's the genius of the Hyuuga clan, isn't he? This generation's prodigy in both the Hyuuga and Uchiha clan have already been determined. I'm just the branded failure no one remembers."

"You weren't a failure, Aya. You never were." It wasn't of Itachi's nature to be consoling, but for some unknown reason this young girl was always able to wrestle these things out of him. If anything, her situation was uncannily similar to Rock Lee's. A so-called 'failure' with the potential and fortitude to train and arise among the rest. But she was literally born with promise. Everything about her screamed privilege.

"I'm so suspicious here, Itachi. The Jounin probably suspect me for being some really bad undercover spy for an impending infiltration. I graduated the Genin program so quickly, not to mention I was assigned some hotshot mission. Then there's the fact that Anko knows and has told Kakashi and virtually everyone else of importance about my encounter with Orochimaru. You can tell they know just by the way everyone _stares_ at me."

"There's going to be one more person staring at you in the near future." Itachi allowed a small smile. "I'm going to be watching you during the Final Exams. I'll be in an ANBU member's clothing. You'll know who I am."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

(Author's Note: Yeah, I understand that the Final Exams were like… weeks after the secondary exams, but as you probably know, I'm really adjusting the real story for my convenience.)

"_Henge no Jutsu."_

Entering the arena without any difficulty whatsoever, he managed to bypass the other lords, rulers, ninja, and townsfolk until he reached an area where he could inconspicuously view the Chuunin competitors.

Itachi.

Aya caught his eye immediately, as she was one of the shortest girls of the bunch, and the only female with hair of that particular hue. She must've felt his gaze because she looked up immediately. That small gesture, however, was not lost on Sasuke.

"Who's that?" He asked, despite it not being any of his concern. "Boyfriend?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Aya smiled, "I just saw him, is all. It's not like I can identify him with that mask on anyway."

"That's a lie. You can see past that big rectangle of metal and fabric, what's stopping you from looking through a porcelain mask?"

(Author's Note: enter unrealism to the max.)

"Uchiha Sasuke! Ayame!" The next Examiner exclaimed to the crowd. For a moment, Aya thought they were only being called to get their attention, but upon hearing Sasuke's name the crowd erupted into a roar of cheers.

"Cripe! Again? Are you sure this isn't rigged?" Aya murmured under her breath as she proceeded into the arena. Sasuke just looked away in disgust.

"I know your weakness now," he proclaimed haughtily, "you depend overly on long-range techniques. You can't do any _close_ range ninjutsu. The Uchiha's fire spells should be more than enough."

Aya looked at him, mildly surprised. She, in fact, was _better_ at close combat than she was at long-range. She'd exposed her _Hotaru no Jutsu_ to him, which depended entirely on close proximity, but then again he was probably knocked out by then. Either by Orochimaru, or by Sakura strangling him in her embrace.

"On the contrary. I can do anything the Uchiha clan throws at me. I am perfectly capable of pulling those off too." Aya snapped. Behind him, in the bleachers, she heard Neji yell out a few choice words even from this fair distance away.

Sasuke must have heard as well, because the next thing he knew a challenge escaped his lips. "Really? If you think you're so able to execute Uchiha ninjutsu, why not just claim to be able to use Hyuuga-style techniques as well? Or how about Gai-sensei—and Rock Lee's—taijutsu? You can't, can you?"

"Oh, I can."

She knew she sounded cocky, but so what? If there was something she could pull off in her present "condition," it would be these types of fancy eye displays.

"For the sake of my sanity, would someone tell me who that girl is?" An outraged Hyuuga head member scowled angrily, gripping onto the seat of his chair as if his life depended on it. "I have never even _seen_ that girl before in all my life!"

The volume of his voice caused Hanabi to tense and cock her head to one side with curiosity and fear. "Daddy…?"

"All Hyuuga members are introduced to _me._ Who does she think she is claiming to be able to fight with the Hyuuga eye? It's insult!"

Gai, from across the arena, seemed angered at the magnitude of Aya's claim. "She is no genius of hard work. She is not a genius from some prestigious family. In fact, nobody even knows who she is or where she's from! How _dare_ she assume she is proficient in our methods?"

Kakashi, beside him, leaned over the bar and let out a loud sigh, examining Aya's confident expression some more. "I do believe in you, Aya," he murmured softly, "but even I do not believe you can do what you say."

Red. All he could see was red.

_I want to crush her. I want to crush her so that she'll know she'll __**never**__ be able to execute the Hyuuga techniques she brags she is capable of._ Hyuuga Neji clenched his fists so tight his fingernails dug deep into the palms of his hands.

Sasuke looked Aya up and down, before giving a derisive snort and standing back, his hands crossed over his chest with one eyebrow raised. "Very well then." He said finally, "You can fight me with the Uchiha techniques you claim to have mastered."

"You mean the Sharingan?"

"An _Uchiha_ member requires the concentration of a large amount of Chakra to their eyes _only once they've attained it."_ Sasuke instructed vaguely, somewhat sarcastically. "Let's see you try."

_Stupid._ Gaara thought, sadistic thoughts running through his head making the scowl on his face look something of a smile and the look in his eyes all the more murderous. _How could I have lost against such an arrogant little brat? Like hell she could be able to summon a Sharingan._

Looking somewhat curious, as if she were doing it for the first time, Aya closed her eyes. Suddenly, a wave of purplish-blue Chakra the color of the _Hotaru no Jutsu_ surrounded her. "Okay, concentrate Chakra into my eyes, was it?" Without another second, her eyes shot open, their color a blood-ruby red, the marks of the Sharingan biting into her pupils.

Choking back the urge to say something in spite of his shock, Sasuke couldn't help but move back a step and having his eyes temporarily widen to astronomical proportions. What was this magic?She couldn't have been able to of something like that—especially not from those brief details. Yes, they were probably illusionary.

"And I'm sure that you believe I am incapable of taking out the Byakugan as well, right, Neji?" Aya spun around to face Neji, close by in the stands. His face was pale, and if looks could kill, the intensity in his eyes would've ripped her apart in a heartbeat.

"No."

Suddenly, it occurred to Sasuke that perhaps it was the Sharingan and/or Byakugan that Aya had used during the secondary exam, hence the forehead protector. It was quite likely. However, it must've only been one and not the other, as they were of two completely different clans.

"Show me what you used back then," Sasuke almost demanded, stepping forward. "Back when you covered your eyes with your protector. Is that what you're trying to show us now?" He felt the cursed seal beginning to bite at his skin, clawing to try and get out. It was beyond obvious Orochimaru was in close proximity, the seal reacting to both his presence and Sasuke's anger.

Aya looked thoughtful for a moment, before quickly running her eyes over the crowd again. Sasuke looked in the direction to try to see what she was looking for, but couldn't think of anyone as her eyes didn't stop at any individual in particular. "Well, if you ask politely…"

"Please."

"_Sharinkyakugan!"_

The moment she opened her eyes again and glanced up to face both Sasuke and the crowd—you could only imagine the shock that arose. Even the Hokage looked absolutely terrified. You could tell by the fact that both he and the Kazekage guest were both sitting on the edge of their chairs, horrified by what they saw.

It was gruesome. It was beautiful. It was a curse. It was a gift.

There it was: a huge cross between the Byakugan and the SHaringan. Aya turned slightly so that she could catch the look registered on Neji's face. "This is what you wanted to see, wasn't it? Do you doubt that I am capable of doing both types of techniques now?" She turned out to the crowd and threw her protector on the ground. "What do you consider me now?" She shouted out into the crowd over the clanging of the metal hitting the gravel. "A genius, or a monster?"

The bob-headed boy nearly collapsed scrambling to the front of the bleachers in his section to try to get a better look just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. "Gai-sensei! How could that be? How could she have attained both the—"

"How could she have attained both the Sharingan _and_ the Byakugan?" Hiashi and Kakashi, all on different sections of the arena, mumbled in sheer horror and puzzlement at the same time.

"You're stunned, aren't you. I see that you're angry. That had better not be jealousy I see in your eyes, because I've gone through more in my fifteen (Author's Note: yes, fifteen. That makes the rest of them fifteen/sixteen.) years than you have."

"Who _are_ you? _What_ are you?" Sasuke muttered, stepping back another step to further increase the space between them. "Nobody _human_ should have more than one Bloodline Limit! Don't go mouthing off about your life—I've gone through a lot in mine as well. I speak on behalf of all the people here! The hell?"

"I told you: my name is Aya. I'm a human being. You may call me by my less appreciated but still existent alter name, Aino. Maybe one of these days you'll figure out exactly what I mean by that." She turned a gaze over to her uncle out in the audience. "So, you can either call me Ayame Uchiha or--," she paused. "Aino Hyuuga."

Hiashi's shocked expression froze immediately on his face and crashed right onto the ground. Getting up from his chair, he promptly made his way to exit the arena, Hanabi at his side.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, feeling the inferiority boil inside of him. _At this rate, she isn't just slightly better than I—she's __**much**__ better than I'll ever be._

"Yes. Leave! That's what you're good at." Aya called after Hiashi, before turning to Sasuke. "This _means_ that a scandal is about to be revealed, and our uncle doesn't even have the courtesy to hear about it."

"What?"

"Hizashi had an affair with our mother—who as you know, was also a strong wielder of the Sharingan. With the aid of Neji's father, I was the end product of that relationship."

"Fuck you!" Sasuke blurted out, the seal burning red in color, a furious one that did not at all match the Sharingan that were now intense in his eyes. "I don't believe my mother would do such a thing! You are lying, and you're solely trying to dishonour the Uchiha family. In front of all these people, no less!"

"Does it _look_ like I'm trying to insult _anybody_? I'm trying to tell you the facts!" Aya shouted out with such surprising strength that Sasuke almost flinched. "I was a hidden product of sin, and I was to remain a secret lest my parents and clans be ostracized and shamed. Which is why, up to today, nobody has _ever_ known my last name."


End file.
